Automobile theft preventer



Nov. 9, 1937. w. H. BLANEY AUTOMOBILE THEFT PREVENTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10, I936 Nov. 9, 1937. W.'H. BLANEY AUTOMOBJQI JE THEFT PREVENTER Filed Sept. 10, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES ATENT 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a means to prevent theft of an automobile and it aims to provide a novel construction which will act as an audible tell-tale or alarm in the event of unauthorized operation of the vehicle by anyone other than the owner or lawful operator, either when the vehicle is driven in the normal manner or is towed. with either the front end or the rear end elevated, or when said vehicle is parked and is moved either forwardly or backwardly from the parked position, by another vehicle pushing the parked vehicle either forwardly or backwardly as the case may be.

It is especially aimed to provide a novel construction which may be operated Without the use of a key to apply an operating member against a rotating part of a wheel, preferably both a front and a rear wheel, for operation through turning of such wheel or Wheels, and which device will require a key or similar operation on the part of the owner to restore the device to inoperative or normal position. 3

The more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a View partly in section showing the invention applied to an automobile;

Figure 1a is a diagrammatic View showing the application of the invention to an automobile;

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the audible signal and its mounting;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4'4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detail taken on the same plane as Figure 3 showing the drive for the audible signal; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical section through the control box structure employed.

Referring specifically to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts, rotatable brake drum housings are shown at I!) moving with respect to stationary brake supports or plates I I. It will be understood that these parts are conventional as used on all automobiles or similar vehicles for both front and rear wheels.

In carrying out the invention, an audible signal device it! may be used in connection with each of the four Wheels of the vehicle. However, only one may be used but it is preferred to employ one on one front wheel and one on one opposite rear wheel of the vehicle, as suggested in Figure 10. so that the device will operate not only for forward and backward movement but in the event it is being towed with either the front wheels or the rear wheels elevated.

Each audible signal device comprises a lever or arm i3 journaled on a cylindrical portion M of a bolt l5. Said bolt has a tapered portion it? wedged in a tapered opening in the support H and secured in place by a screw shank I1 and nut i8 thereon. Such bolt i5 also has a head l9 and between the latter and cylindrical portion M, has a polygonal portion 29, intimately fitting a correspondingly shaped opening in a fixed arm 2!. A contractile coil spring 22 is fastened to the arms 53 and 2!, serving to urge the arm 3, to retracted position against the arm or abutment 2!, the latter having a pin or the like at 23, limiting the retraction of arm 13.

A base plate or disk 24 is bolted as at 25 to the arm or lever l3 and in both of them, a shaft 26 is journaled, such shaft having a wheel 21 thereon provided with a traction ring 28 of cloth, rubber, or other material adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the ex- 1 terior of the brake drum housing, a guard 29 being fastened to the lever l3 to protect such wheel 2'! against undue entrance of dirt and foreign matter. On the shaft 26, a gear Wheel 36 is keyed which meshes with a gear Wheel 31 forming part of a striker 32 in the form of a spider, having a hub 33 and radiating arms 34. On the outer ends of said arms 34 are movable striker members 35. The mem ers 35 have arcuate slots 35 through which one end portion 3? of U-shape fastenings 38 pass, the other end or arm 39 of such fastenings passing through the striker members 35 and arms 3% to pivotally mount the striker members, Said striker members 35 are adapted during rotation of the arms 34, to engage lobes or projections M2 on the interior of a bell body 5!. A stationary central bolt or arbor 42 has reduced portions 43, it, and t5, the

portions id and 45 extending through the base substantially'to the shape of the bell body 4| and r the other face of the head 47 extending over the periphery of the base 24. It will be noted that projections 56 are'provided on both the inside and outside, of the bell body 4|, projections 5| are provided on the inside of the housing 49 and projections 52 are provided'on 7 Such projections 59, 5|, and 52, it will be noted, have a minimum surface area although firm contact with each other, so as not to interfere with'the ringing or audibility of the bell body 4!. V v

As shown in Figure 1 the parts described are normally in the full line position and since the bolt 15 is mounted .eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of the brake .drum'housing',

the arm l3 may be pulled forwardly to the dotted line position, also shown in Figure 1' so that th'e wheel 21 Contacts with the brake drum housing and will be rotated by the brake drumhou-sing,

if the vehicle is thereafter operated, resulting in the gearing driving the striker and consequently moving: the striker element against the projections 49 to operate the bell.

Suitable means are provided whereby said arm or lever l3 and parts carried thereby are drawn 7 or applied to the dotted line position of Figure 1.

' automobile or vehicle.

To this end; a wire or otherflexible draw element 5| is fastened to the free end of the lever [3. Where two of the devicesare used as in Figure 1a, the fiexibleelementsil are attached to 012- posite ends of an equalizing bar 52-pivoted' on a vertical axis at 53 to a suitable fixed part of the Between the connections of the elements 5| to the 'equalizerbar 52, a draw element '54 is attached, passing over suitable guide pulleys or the like at 55'and being connectedto a pull rod 56. In cases where'a single audible-device I2 is used, the wire 54 is connected directly to the lever arm 13. r V V i Said pull rod 56 is slidably mounted in a suit able-housing or casing 51 attached for instance by bolts or the like ati58 to'the instrument board 59 of avehicle or automobile.

A series of teeth fill are provided on the pull rod 56 having their forward walls vertical and their rear walls inclined as best shown in Figure '7. A vertically slidable latch rod 6! whose upper end corresponds in shape to the space between the teeth, is carried by the casing 5'! and urged upwardly by an expansion spring 62 mounted in an arm 63 of an L-shaped housing 54 forming part of the casing 51. In the other arm 65 of such housing 64, a cylinder lock 66 1s fastened, being operable by its key SLto cause the pin or latch 6| to lower through any suitable connection there:

authorized person having the key fil must use it in order to retract the latch GI and thus permit restoration of the parts to the normal position through the'contractile action of spring 22.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the in vention.

What is claimed is:

l. A device of the class described comprising a fixed support and a rotatable part surrounding the same, a lever movable in a path in parallelism to the fixed support, an audible signal carried and supported only by the lever having a part engageable with said rotatable part through operation of the lever, a bolt securing the lever to the fixed support, said lever'being pivoted on said bolt, an arm held in fixed position by said bolt, and a contractile spring betweensaid lever and said arm.

2. A device of the class described comprising a fixed support and a rotatable part surrounding the same, a lever movable in a path in parallelism to the fixed'support, .an audible signal carried and supported only by the lever having a part engageable with said rotatable part through operation of the lever, a bolt securing the-lever to the fixed support, said lever being pivotedon said bolt, an arm held in fixed position by said bolt, 2.. contractile spring between' saidlever and said arm, said bolt having a polygonal" portion intimately fitting an opening in said arm, and a conical attaching portion on said bolt. v

' 3. An audible signal device of the class described comprising a lever, a base carried thereby, a bolt membersecured to the lever and base, a bell car- 'ried by and supported only on the bolt member, a shaft journaled on said lever andbase and applicable for operation by a moving part of a vehicle through movement of the lever, a clapper rotatably mounted on said bolt member, gearing to operate the clapper disposed and mounted intermediate said shaft and bolt member, and a projection on said bell for engagement by the clapper.

4. An audible signal .device ofithe class described comprising a lever, a base carried thereby;

a bolt member connected to the base, a bell carclapper members having arcuate slots and the pivots for said arms having portions engaged in said slots, 2. head on said bolt, a housing over said bell body, and projections on the head,'bell body and'housing preventing undue muflling of the bell .body, and fastenings extending from the head 

